Voters in Alaska’s deep red Mat-Su and Eagle River communities weigh in at the polls

At 8:30 a.m. in Eagle River, a northern suburb of Anchorage near Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, voters began to arrive in a steady stream to vote before work at the Eagle River Town Center polling station.

Ken Slaughter of Eagle River said he was voting for Shelley Hughes and Blake Gettys for governor and lieutenant governor based on their pro-life stance, a priority for him voting down the ballot as a Republican.

“I’m also a Christian. I’m very conservative in every category — socially, theologically, politically. I don’t like abortion, which to me is murdering babies,” he said. “So I do what I can as a citizen, and that’s vote.”

Farther north in the Matansuka-Susitna Borough, one of the state’s most Republican regions, many voters declined to say on who they picked for governor. 

In downtown Palmer, at the Matanuska–Susitna Borough offices, the polling station had been set up for the last two weeks since early voting began on August 3. On Tuesday morning, a steady stream of voters stopped by to cast their ballots. 

Charm Mastriano of Palmer declined to say who her top pick for governor is, but said she’s hoping for a new direction. “I’m not a Dunleavy fan, and I’m not happy with many of the things he’s done and his vetoes and things like this. So I am looking for a change and hoping for something better,” she said. 

Mastriano also declined to say who she voted for in the high-stakes congressional elections, but said she also wanted to see a new direction in the U.S. Congress. 

“I think they need to get their act together. I’m not at all happy with our Congress. Generally, in the United States, I’m not pleased with the way they behave and they piddle around and don’t do anything, so I think they need to get it together and get things done,” she said.

A few miles west across the valley, Will Lacy stopped to chat after voting mid-morning at Mat-Su Fire Station 51, where polls were set up beside a row of parked fire engines and ambulances.

Lacy said he voted for Shelley Hughes for governor, as he was familiar with her serving in the Alaska State Senate representing the region. 

“I just like her voting record and the things she stands for while she was serving as senator, and she’s always been consistent, and so that’s what I like most about her,” he said. 

He said for the U.S. Senate race he wants to see someone new but declined to say which challenger he voted for.

“I’m going for fresh blood this time around,” he said. “I’m giving somebody else a chance. There’s just some things that I didn’t like about the last two terms, and so I’m just looking for something fresh.”

Poll workers said it was fortunate there had been no fires the engines had to respond to that morning. 

Roughly five miles down the Palmer-Wasilla Highway at the Wasilla City Hall, voters stopped by during lunchtime. 

After casting her ballot, Evelyn Goughnour of Wasilla said she hoped to see more Alaska voters turn out at the polls. 

“I’m feeling pretty positive, if we get enough voters,” she said. “But one thing that we are really lacking is people that really vote, and they don’t realize if they don’t vote, there’s nothing that can be done. And if they don’t vote, they can’t say anything about it, is my opinion, because they didn’t do anything to change things.”

Goughnour said she’s concerned about the rising cost of living in Alaska — for herself and for her children and grandchildren — and wants to see the next elected leaders address it. 

“The prices are being hiked on everything for all of us normal people — the groceries, the gas, how we can barely get by,” she said. “And it’s getting harder and harder to feed the families because the prices are so high. I’m a senior on Social Security, and it’s harder and harder to feed myself.”

Goughnour said she wants to see term limits of no more than eight years for all elected officials, and voted to limit campaign finance contributions, a “yes” on Ballot Measure 1. She declined to say who she voted for as a top pick for governor, but voted for a candidate with “a good moral background.”

“Honestly, I didn’t go for any of the top runners because I don’t think any of them are good. They’re all politicians,” she said. “I think we need somebody in there that is more down to earth and more in tune with the people, and so not the politicians.” 

Zach Scholl of Wasilla said he cast his primary ballot with some relief knowing the primary election would be over Tuesday and end the campaigning, candidate ads and what he called a “bombardment” of campaign flyers in his mailbox. 

“I would love to hear more of what people are going for instead of what they hate about the other person. The slander campaign, like, man, that gets old. I want to see, you know, what do you stand for? What are you doing that’s going to be good?” he said. “So that’s one thing that’s a little disappointing in politics in general.”

Scholl also declined to say who he voted for in the governor’s race, but added he has not heard much from Democratic candidates. 

“I don’t know anybody on the Democratic side,” he said. “I’ve heard a ton of Republicans just everywhere, and it might be me not paying attention enough, but I’ve heard a lot of the Republicans, so it’ll be interesting to see how that shakes out because that splits votes.”

Scholl said he would like to see fisheries, oil and gas, and energy supply issues addressed by new elected leadership. 

“We’re talking about these brownouts and blackouts with gas, that’s a big deal,” he said. “And I think a solution for stuff like that is something that’s you know where if those start happening, people are going to feel and see those effects in real time, and I think those are real issues that I would like to see addressed and talked about.”

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